Poultry-fount.



I G. W. DUNCAN.

POULTRY FOUNT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1910.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

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GEORGE W. DUNCAN, F AUDUBON, NEW JERSEY.

POULTRY-EQUINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

Application filed May 31, 1910. Serial No. 564,025.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. DUNCAN, a citizen of the Uni-ted States, residing at Audubon, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Poultry- Founts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in poultry founts, the object of the invention being to provide an improved device of this character which will maintain a plurality of drinking cups with a uniform level of water, and which will shield the same from the heat of the suns rays, and which will prevent the fowls from roosting thereon.

A further object is to provide an improved umbrella or awning for the fount, with improved means for holding it in place, and improved means for preventing the fowls from climbing on the drinking cups.

A further object is to provide an improved drinking fount of extremely simple inexpensive construction, which insures a continuous supply of drinking water and maintains the same in a clean and sanitary condition.

\Vith those and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1, is a view in vertical section illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2, is an enlarged view of one of the awning supports. Fig. 3, is a sectional plan view, on the line 83 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, is a sectional view on the line l4t of Fig. 1 looking upward.

1, represents a base which comprises a circular water chamber supported upon a flaring apron 2. From this base 1, a plurality of radially disposed tubes 3 project and are provided at their outer ends with drinking cups 4;. lVhile I am not, of course, limited to the particular number of these tubes 3 and drinking cups l, I have illustrated four of them, and this is a preferable number.

The upper open end of the base 1 is screwthreaded to receive a water reservoir 5 preferably of glass, and an ordinary preserving jar may be used for this purpose with a rubber gasket 6 provided around the jar and screwed against the upper end of the base to form a water tight joint.

7 represents my improved awning or umbrella, which is preferably of conical form as illustrated and is provided with two bars 8, 8, secured at their ends to the lower face of the cone 7 and crossing each other as illustrated. The intermediate portions of these bars 8 are bowed upward in general inverted U-form as illustrated at 9, so as to conform to the shape of the upper end of the reservoir 5 and prevent lateral movement of cone 7, but space the latter from the reservoir. From these bars 8, at opposite sides of the upwardly bent portions 9, vertical supports 10 depend. These supports comprise two strips of spring metal bent at an angle at their upper end, as illustrated at 11, and secured by rivets 12 or other suitable devices, to the bars 8. These strips 10, at their lower ends, are bowed outward as illustrated at 13 to clamp around the tubes 3, and at their extreme lower ends are flared outward as illustrated at 1 1 forming an entrance for the tube 3 within the clamp 13. To these strips 10, adjacent the clamps 13, wires 15 are secured and extend upward and outward over the drinking cups 4. These wires are adapted to prevent a fowl from stepping up on the drinking cup, as they will strike the breast of the fowl if it should attempt to do so.

By reason of the structure above described, the umbrella or awning 7 with the wires 15, may be readily removed from the fount by simply holding the fount and eX- erting an upward pull on the awning, when the clamps 13 will be drawn off of tubes 3, and to replace the awning, a slight downward pressure is all that is necessary to position the clamps 13 on thetubes 3, when the uprights 10 are guided into place.

In operation, the reservoir 5 is removed and filled with fresh water, and the base 1, in inverted position, is screwed onto reservoir 5. The reservoir is then inverted to bring it to normal position, when the water will flow through the tubes 3 into cups 4, and maintain a uniform level in the latter by reason of the pressure of the atmospheric air, as is well understood. The awning or umbrella 7 shades the fount from the suns rays, and permits a free circulation of air all around the same, and due to its conical form a fowl cannot stand thereon, and due to the wires 15, a fowl cannot step onto the "cups 4:, hence the device is kept clean and sanitary at all times.

Various slight changes might be made in I ceiye the reservoir and uprights secured to the general form and arrangementrof parts described Without departing from my invention, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A poultry io-unt comprising a base, a reservoir screwed onto the base, a plurality of radially disposed tubes projecting out- Ward from the base, drinking cups on the ends of said tubes, an umbrella or awning over said reservoir, and uprights secured to the awning and supported on said tubes, substantially as described.

2. A poultry fount comprising a base, a reservoir screwed onto the base, a plurality of radially disposed tubes projecting o-ut- Ward from the base, drinking cups on the ends of said tubes, a conical umbrella or awning over the fount, crossed bars secured to said umbrella or awning and bowed upward at their intermediate portions to resaid bars, and comprising two strips of spring metal secured together, bent at their lower ends forming clamps engaging over saidtubes, substantially as described.

3. A poultry fount, comprising a base, a reservoirscrewed onto the base, a plurality ofradially disposed tubes projecting outward from the base, drinking cups on the ends of said tubes, a conical umbrella or awning over the fount, crossed bars secured to said umbrella or awning and b owed upward at their intermediate portions to receive the reservoir, uprights secured to said bars and comprising two strips of spring metal secured together, bent at their lower ends iorming clamps engaging over said tubes, and wires secured to said uprights and projecting above and over said cups, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses;

GEORGE W. DUNCAN. itnesses R. H. KRENKEL, C. E. POTTS. 

